


midnight sparks and fireworks

by monyaka



Series: Maybe Interactive 2020 December Prompts [18]
Category: Royal Blood (Visual Novel), Son or Husband (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, F/M, Family Dinners, Fireworks, Maybe Interactive 2020 December Prompts, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:08:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28462875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monyaka/pseuds/monyaka
Summary: chloe and andrew spend new year's eve with chloe's extended family.
Relationships: Andrew Russell/Chloe Taylor
Series: Maybe Interactive 2020 December Prompts [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035726





	midnight sparks and fireworks

**Author's Note:**

> not me rewatching andrew's fireworks scene and getting emotional about him

chloe doesn’t like having family over. her cousin prowls around her tiny apartment, his cold eyes taking in everything she owns. it’s always uncomfortable for her when he shows up out of the blue, never calling ahead until he’s already on his way. is it a texan thing, she wonders, or is it just _him?_ either way, he’s picking up a teddy bear she keeps on her bed. she’s recently gotten a new one, and it sits next to the childhood toy she’s kept there for ages. 

after all, the new bear deserves its place on the bed. it’s from when she and andrew had seen a claw game in the mall, and he’d spent hours trying to win her a prize. eventually, she’d implored him to give up, but he kept going back to the mall. eventually, he showed up to her door with a store-bought teddy bear. _i couldn’t win you a prize no matter how hard i tried. but i tried to find one that looked like the one you wanted, so that’s okay, right? these hands are meant for art, not… whatever that machine wanted._ the thought makes her smile fondly, and the blonde man frowns suspiciously at her expression. he picks up the new one and holds it out to her. “this one wasn’t here last time.”

she sighs and brushes some hair out of her eyes. “i can buy things for myself sometimes, evan.”

“but _this?_ ” evan crosses his arms and sets the bear back down on the bed. “i thought you didn’t have a lot of money to blow on frivolities.”

“are you kidding me?” chloe’s got half a mind to kick her cousin out. she knows he means well, that he’s just a little rough around the edges… but sometimes, oh, sometimes! “are you calling me poor?”

her cousin raises his hands in surrender, choosing not to say anything. a wise choice. finally, though, he tells her about the real reason he came. he wants backup. specifically, backup at one of those fancy events his dad throws all the time. to chloe, christian taylor is a nice man but ultimately a coward. he’d stayed out of his sister’s life until chloe was an adult… no, he stayed out of her life until she’d _died._ chloe had first met her uncle at the funeral, and to find out that he was secretly a multimillionaire while she and her mom had been living in poverty… it stung. but he’d sat her down and explained that her mom hadn’t wanted her to live under the kind of pressure that heirs did. that she just wanted a normal life for her daughter. and so… chloe hasn’t forgiven him totally, but she’s starting to warm up to him.

evan, on the other hand, hates his dad. and when he throws the invitation to the new year’s family dinner at her, she can’t help but stare at it. it’s the first time she’s been personally invited to an event like this… her mom had always thrown out the invitations before chloe could see them. and the thought of it… fancy dinners and lavish dresses and luxury upon luxury… she starts to feel a little lost. her cousin’s voice becomes white noise, and her stare falls on a few words in beautiful script at the bottom of the invitation.

_i am attending…_ _alone  
_ _with a partner_

* * *

“how do i look? beautiful, right?” andrew’s smile is so mischievous that it makes chloe smile despite herself. she runs a hand nervously over the inner section of andrew’s sleeve. his tattoo is all covered up, and it makes him look like a totally different guy. conservative, almost. like he could blend in perfectly with the rich people at this dinner party. it makes her brow furrow despite herself, and she doesn’t even realize she’s putting her hand to her lips until andrew takes it and brings it down to her side. “don’t worry. i’ve been to lots of these kinds of dinners. so if anyone tries to attack you with a salad fork, i’ll be right there to block the weapon for you.”

she can’t help but gape. “does that… that doesn’t really happen, does it?”

“oh, you’ll be lucky if it doesn’t happen! rich people are vicious! they strike when the stocks are low!” and he snatches her shoulders like he’s pouncing on her, and she can’t help but laugh. they’ve gotten closer, spending lots of time together, but… she has to wonder if he thinks of her as more of a best friend than a girlfriend. for a second, she wonders if it’s a mistake to introduce him to evan. if he thinks her cousin is hot and goes for him instead, she thinks she might die of humiliation. but instead, andrew carefully takes her hand and smiles. “ready? i can ring the doorbell for you, chloe.”

she’s certain of how she feels about him, but she’s not certain if he reciprocates. if he did… wouldn’t he have made a move by now? they’re definitely close like best friends, but… chloe would be lying if she said she wanted things to stay like that. she can still remember the way his breath felt on her forehead the first night they went out, when he kissed her so tenderly on the forehead.

chloe hasn’t even noticed that she’d nodded yes until the door swings open and her uncle fills the doorframe. he’s smiling politely, and she manages a polite smile in return.

“is it chloe? move, i want to greet her.” it’s evan’s voice, and chloe ends up grinning at the sound of it, at the thunder of his footsteps and the unceremonious way he tries to push his dad aside. “oh damn, who’s this?”

“ _evan._ ” christian sighs patronizingly, shakes his head. “i’m sorry for… his attitude.”

but andrew isn’t offended. actually, he carries himself like he’s been a part of this life forever. which, chloe thinks, is probably true. andrew had mentioned that his dad is rich, that he’s pretty used to lavish parties. she hadn’t really believed it until now, until he’s chatting easily with her uncle and leaving her to spend more time with evan, someone she’s way more comfortable with.

and someone, incidentally, who’s scoffing at her and folding his arms. “he’s the one who got you that teddy bear, right? he’s not bad-looking, i guess, but are you sure you want him as a boyfriend?”

chloe’s cheeks flush, and she shoves evan’s muscular arm with her hand. he doesn’t even budge, and that makes her flush even deeper. thinking about andrew, about his warm smiles and his kind words, about how he’s always so attentive to her even now, by keeping her uncle occupied so she doesn’t have to talk to him more than necessary… it makes her heart flutter and her cheeks go warm. it doesn’t matter if he’s mischievous or free-spirited. chloe just likes him. she just wants to be with him.

it’s a surprising moment of clarity, like a light going off in her mind. and as andrew catches her eye from across the room, she can’t help but smile and wave. like she’s a schoolgirl greeting her first boyfriend. evan laughs harshly and ruffles her hair, and andrew turns to him and waves to him. 

even though it’s supposed to be a family dinner, things are still a little hectic and stressful. after all, there are lots of people that she doesn’t really know — extended family, business partners that are _like_ family, and a whole lot of servants who work in the household, all of whom chloe greets with a kind smile and a number of compliments. and because evan ends up being clingy, she barely sees andrew for the whole event. but then it’s time to go out to the garden for fireworks, and she spots him sitting on the grass. her pace quickens with her heart rate as she sits down next to him. it’s cold outside, but watching the pale moonlight reflect off his features makes her feel surprisingly warm.

“you came.” his voice is softer and sweeter than it has any right to be, and she smiles and shuffles a little closer to him.

“of course i did, you dummy. aren’t you my date for the evening?”

“really? i thought i was your moral support.” he flashes her a charming smile and hesitantly takes his jacket off to place around her shoulders. the cologne he’s wearing is very light, so she can only catch a whiff, but it smells nice. it feels nice and warm. “so… were you expecting me to act like that all evening?”

she laughs and lays her head on his shoulder, pretending her heart isn’t beating out of her chest at the small intimacy. “we still have some time now.” they have a minute or two before the countdown, and the buzz of conversations around them seem to melt away as she sits there in silence, ear pressed to andrew’s shoulder.

“i like looking in the same direction as you,” andrew says softly, and moves to take her hand. he’s bolder now that he’s been given permission, but he’s still not pushy. chloe’s left to wonder if he’s planning to kiss her to ring in the new year, if it’s even crossed his mind. and as the frenzy of voices rise to the sky, counting down the seconds to the next year, her heart starts beating in tandem with the shouts. 

_five! four! three! two! one!_

fireworks explode in the sky, and she’s briefly mesmerized by the display. it’s grand and luxurious, just like everything else in this unfamiliar house. and then she feels it. warmth and care and tender love… andrew’s lips on her cheek.

“happy new year, chloe. you looked so beautiful with the fireworks reflected in your eyes, i didn't want to distract — mmph!”

the two of them fall onto the grass, a soft thump sounding as andrew’s back makes contact. but it’s not just his back and the lawn that’s making contact. it’s her chest on his, her hands in his, her lips on his. it’s more naked this way, with their hands clenched together and nothing but their faces to use in the kiss. he can’t hold her closer or cup her cheek, but she can feel the heat from his cheeks burning onto her face, and she moves back to smile coyly at him. “that’s how you do a new year’s kiss. were you scared?”

“yes!” he blurts out, clapping his hands over his burning cheeks. “but it was the happiest moment of my life. there’s no moment that will ever compare, for the rest of my life.” he peeks through his hands, and she can already tell that he’s trying to make her laugh. so she does, and nuzzles his hand away until she can peck him on the cheek.

“don’t be silly. we’re going to have lots of moments together that will make this one seem boring. because… you’re going to be my date for the new year, right?”

fireworks explode, illuminating the sky but ultimately fading away. but andrew’s eyes in that moment are explosively overjoyed, but that love never fades. not for the rest of their lives.


End file.
